1. Technical Field
This invention relates to plant holders and, more particularly, to a self-supporting plant holder.
2. Prior Art
There are many avid do-it-yourself gardeners and professional landscapers who are constantly striving to obtain the optimum growth from their plants. A particularly attractive addition to any garden is that of brightly and variedly colored flowers. Certain flowers, however, only thrive when planted in a highly controlled soil environment, which is usually only attainable when planting the flower in a pot that has predetermined quantities of minerals, vitamins and fertilizer in the soil. Having a method to aesthetically display such potted plants in an outdoors garden is thus an obvious need of many horticulturists, whether they be professionals or novices.
Display stands for supporting flower pots are known in the art. There are several patents which disclose various stands. On example discloses a flower pot stand which may be readily assembled and disassembled for shipping and storage. The stand comprises an upright tubular member formed in sections having flat plate members secured thereto. A plurality of arms extend radially from the corners of the plates and are rotatably mounted thereon. The assembly including the arms may be revolved bodily with respect to the ground or floor. Also, the arms may be rotatably adjusted with respect to each other. Unfortunately, this example does not readily compensate for instability issues that may arise when the user whishes to only suspend one plant therefrom.
A further prior art example discloses an apparatus for hanging plants, pots or the like. The apparatus is comprised of a hollow center post having modularly pieced components upon which are mounted radially extending arms and legs. A center hub is provided for mounting the radially extending arms and legs to the center post. The center post is adapted for being supported in its upright position by various type means for mounting on the floor, a tree dolly or for mounting directly into the earth. Unfortunately, the mounting means is not sufficient for fixedly securing the apparatus in a ground surface, thus causing the apparatus lean and fall over when uneven amount of weight are distributed thereabout. Furthermore, the complex design of the apparatus makes production and construction thereof more difficult than needs be.
Accordingly, a need remains for a self-supporting plant holder in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a self-supporting plant holder that is easy to install and use, is strong and durable in design for extended periods of outdoors use, and has aesthetic appeal. Such a self-supporting plant holder can be utilized by homeowners caring for their gardens or by professional landscapers who are contracted to care for residential, commercial, and industrial property.